Chapter 5 - The Shareholders' Trap
At 1:45 PM, the grand marble lobby of the Montgomery Global Building was packed with reporters, television cameras, and high-net-worth investors.
The emergency shareholder vote was being held in the main auditorium on the third floor.
On the raised stage behind the walnut podium stood Julian Montgomery. He was fifty years old, wearing a silver suit, with hair slicked back tightly against his skull. He looked like Arthur, but where Arthur carried the weight of authority, Julian carried the sharp, twitchy desperation of a predator cornered.
Beside Julian stood Vance, wearing a sharp suit that barely concealed the bandages wrapped around his neck from the barn fire.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Julian’s voice boomed through the microphone, echoing through the packed hall. "It is with a heavy heart that I convene this emergency session. My brother, Arthur, has been missing since late yesterday evening following a horrific vehicular accident in rural Oakridge. The authorities are currently searching the site."
A solemn murmur swept through the crowd.
"Under Section 4 of the corporate charter," Julian continued, tapping the papers on the podium, "in the event of the Chief Executive's incapacity or death, full voting control of the family trust reverts to the Vice Chairman. I hereby call for the motion to approve the immediate sale of Montgomery Global assets to the Titan Consortium!"
"I second the motion!" Vance announced loudly from the side of the stage.
"All those in favor—" Julian began, a triumphant sneer beginning to form on his lips.
BANG!
The heavy double glass doors at the rear of the auditorium swung open.
The room fell dead silent.
Arthur Montgomery walked down the central aisle. He did not look like a man who had survived a car crash and a fire twelve hours prior. He moved with slow, crushing momentum, his dark eyes locked on his brother like a sniper scope.
Beside him, her hand held securely in his right grip, walked Lily Morgan. She wore her lavender sweater, her chin held high, staring down the hundreds of rich adults in the room without flinching.
"The motion is denied," Arthur’s voice cut through the auditorium like a sword blade.
The room erupted into absolute chaos. Camera flashes exploded like lightning, reporters shouted questions, and shareholders leaped to their feet.
Julian’s face turned the color of ashes. He gripped the edges of the podium so hard his knuckles turned white. "Arthur?! You... you're alive?!"
"Disappointed, Julian?" Arthur asked calmly, stopping at the foot of the stage.
Vance stepped forward, pointing a finger at Arthur. "Security! Arrest that man! He is currently under investigation for the unlawful custody of an endangered minor!"
Two heavy-set security guards moved toward Arthur and Lily from the side aisle.
Lily didn't panic. She stepped in front of Arthur, pulling the small blue canvas backpack from her shoulders. She unzipped it, pulled out a thick, black leather folder, and held it high above her head.
"Looking for this?" Lily’s clear, high voice echoed through the microphone system.
The auditorium fell quiet again.
Arthur looked down at her with a proud smile, then turned back to the crowd. "Inside this folder are the complete, unedited telemetry logs recovered from my vehicle's black box prior to the fire. It contains the audio recording of Vance and Julian discussing the sabotage of my brake lines, as well as the wire transfers sent from Julian's offshore account to the men who set the trap."
Julian staggered backward, hitting the back wall of the stage. "That's... that's a fake! She's a street urchin! A beggar!"
"She is the girl who saved my life," Arthur roared, his voice echoing off the high ceiling like thunder. "And she is smarter than you will ever be!"
Arthur waved his hand.
The rear doors opened again. Four uniformed officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, accompanied by the State Attorney General, marched down the aisle.
"Julian Montgomery," the lead agent announced, stepping onto the stage and pulling out a pair of steel handcuffs. "You and Vance Miller are under arrest for attempted murder, corporate fraud, and conspiracy."
As the steel cuffs clicked around Julian’s wrists, he looked down at Lily with pure, unadulterated hatred. "You little trash rat... you ruined everything!"
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Lily looked up at the man who had tried to murder her benefactor. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the handkerchief with the gold stars, and held it up.
"The stars keep bad things away," Lily said softly. "And you're a bad thing."
